The Sunday Junkie: Jan. 3 edition

The new year is upon us, and the UFC is undoubtedly hoping the “curse” of UFC 108 is a thing of the past.

But while UFC 108 was widely panned in the weeks leading up to Saturday night’s event, the card that looked weak on paper proved outstanding in action

In 2010’s first edition of The Sunday Junkie, readers discussed much of the fallout from UFC 108. And while numerous other topics were also addressed, our winner, “Josh A.,” focused on the polarizing figure of Paul Daley and what the UFC’s best option is for “Semtex.”

While the British slugger openly requested a matchup with fellow striker Thiago Alves – a match-up that has “crowd-pleaser” written all over it – Josh argues that the fight does little to determine where Daley truly stands in the division.

For his winning entry, Josh wins a free one-year subscription to Fighters Only magazine, the world’s leading MMA and lifestyle magazine. He’ll also be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the topic with the show’s hosts.

Want to submit to next week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie? Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions (and be sure to include your name and hometown). And check out all the entries below.

* * * * PAUL DALEY’S NEXT OPPONENT SHOULDN’T BE THIAGO ALVES

Paul Daley is a breath of fresh air to the UFC’s welterweight division, and I have high hopes for him. However, I think UFC president Dana White’s choices for Daley’s next matchup make more sense than “Semtex’s” request for Thiago Alves. While an Alves matchup would likely make for a great striking war, the fight doesn’t tell us what we really want to know – can Daley beat Georges St-Pierre? To know that, we have to see what Daley does when someone with a strong ground game actually penetrates his takedown defense. That means Josh Koscheck or Jon Fitch.

“Josh A.”
Las Vegas, Nev.

PAUL DALEY’S “KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT” AWARD UNDESERVED

Paul Daley very well may have earned his “Knockout of the Night” award for reminding Dustin Hazelett to look both ways before standing still, but does he deserve to be rewarded for sneaking midnight snacks during training camps? Over by one pound, the welterweight fight was changed to a catchweight because of Daley’s inability to drain his massive frame. It’s his job though, and it’s an assignment given to him with ample time. If Anthony Johnson couldn’t cut the limb off he needed to to make weight in his October fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida – and was punished for it by not receiving the much-deserved “Knockout of the Night” award at UFC 104 – why does Daley walk away $50,000 and one pound heavier? The disparity in weight doesn’t matter so much as that it exists. If Daley gets the prize, he should at least be forced to split it with Johnson.

Daniel Lago
Hialeah, Fla.

WHILE STAR-POWER LACKING, UFC 108 DELIVERED ON ACTION

UFC 108 may have lacked a title fight or grudge match, but it made up for that with a fantastic night of fights that surely kept fight fans entertained. Cole Miller, Martin Kampmann, and Jim Miller each finished their fight with outstanding submissions. Either fighter could have easily been selected for submission of the night. Junior Dos Santos and Paul Daley each gave us our knockout fix by scoring fashionable first-round stoppages. Then there were the battles between a much-improved Sam Stout and Joe Lauzon, as well as the main event between Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva – each going the distance and giving the fans three rounds of good, solid MMA. The UFC events that don’t have title fights tend to get criticized at first, but most of the time the UFC delivers an outstanding product, showcasing their depth by turning an injury plagued card into another success.

Andrew “vice” Walters
Coral Springs, Fla.

CRITERIA, NOT POINTS, THE REAL CHALLENGE IN CORRECTING MMA SCORING

It has baffled me the past few months to hear the keyboard warriors’ plea for a new scoring system. I suggest that the scoring is fine; it’s the judging criteria that is the real issue. My solution would be a system based on three elements: striking, transitions, and groundwork. The key difference is that takedowns be judged not as ground work but as transitions, allowing a fighter who strikes effectively, gets taken down, but gets up immediately to win the round by taking two of the three elements. Judging will never be perfect, and no one wants to see a decision anyway, but I see this simple change in perspective as a potential solution to much of the grey area that exists in MMA judging today.

Andrew Hansen
Tampa, Fla.

MORE ROUNDS, PLEASE

The main event at Saturday night’s UFC 108 event only served to further prove the need for change within the scoring structure of MMA. Rashad Evans won the first two rounds, but did almost no damage to Thiago Silva, so each was a clear 10-9 round. In round three, Silva was seconds from finishing Evans, and it probably should have been a 10-8 round. I could understand the judges and the UFC wishing to avoid draws, so that is a strike against using more 10-8 rounds. Because of this, the UFC needs to make use of five-round non-title fights or find a way to use an overtime round. This would avoid frustrating, inconclusive fights. For the record, I watched the fight in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Evans’ hometown, and there was booing at the bar during the announcement of “Suga” as the victor.

Gary Wilson
South Bend, Ind.

WORK FROM THE BACK IMPERATIVE TO IN-CAGE SUCCESS

If you are susceptible to takedowns, you’d best have an active guard to nullify the points it awards your opponent. By that, I mean you cannot simply neutralize your opponent’s ground game and get back to your feet – as Thiago Silva did at UFC 108 – but must actively pursue submissions or sweeps from your back. Rashad Evans’ win came solely from a “bread-and-butter” strategy aimed at delivering a quick combo to the head and shooting for the takedown when he saw Silva’s hands raised in defense. Though this strategy did not ever put Silva in danger of losing due to a stoppage, it won Evans the first two rounds out of the mere fact that, once in guard, Silva defaulted himself to a defensive position. A guard which aimed to find opportunities to submit or sweep Evans would have nullified the points Evans garnered from his takedowns and possibly won Silva the fight.

Vignesh Pillai
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

PRIDE NEARLY COST RASHAD EVANS

Though Rashad Evans pulled off a UFC 108 win with a smothering and dynamic performance, his pride (and chin) momentarily gave in to Thiago Silva’s fan-fueled war mongering. How far is a fighter willing to go to prove to the fans, and his ego, that he’s game? It nearly cost Evans in the third round when Silva capitalized on his own grappling-negating hypnosis and nearly chipped off the motor that was bobbing Evans’ head. The fans booed, and Silva riled them up, overshadowing all that showmanship and brotherly love Evans worked so hard to establish during “The Ultimate Fighter 10.” Let this be a notice to all of Evans’ future opponents: If you aren’t a karate master, make sure to promise at least half the arena a round of drinks if they keep their evening “Suga” free. Pride goes a long way.

Daniel Lago
Hialeah, Fla.

CONDOMS BANNED, BUT GUNS OK?

During the “UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva” telecast, I noticed Martin Kampmann’s shorts with a sponsor called “GunsAmerica.com,” which features a motto of “Where America buys and sells guns.” And yet Condom Depot, a longtime UFC fighter sponsor, gets banned because they promote safety when having intercourse? How is a gun retailer a more acceptable sponsors than a condom outlet? Is the UFC really trying to become mainstream if they allow the promotion of guns in the octagon?

Raul Diaz
Chicago, Ill.

ST-PIERRE’S OLYMPIC DREAM BAD FOR UFC BUT GOOD FOR MMA

I am a huge Georges St-Pierre fan, and I would hate to think of him missing 18-to-24 months or more of MMA in order to pursue the Olympics. But at the same time, I understand why he would want to try and qualify, and I honestly think that it could be a good thing for MMA. From the sport’s early days, wrestlers have crossed over into MMA, and many have done well – and even dominated at times. Wouldn’t it show the great athleticism involved in MMA for an MMA champion who never competed in wrestling to cross-over and make an Olympic team? I’m not even talking about St-Pierre winning – or even placing – but just simply the possibility of him making it on the team. Short-term, this would definitely be a major loss for the UFC, but I see it as a potential gain for the future.

“BLADEMERC”
Edinburgh, Ind.

COMPETITION BENEFITS EVERYONE

After doing some research and watching a documentary on the USFL and how it helped to influence the base pay and the treatment of players in the NFL, even though the upstart league eventually failed, it has strengthened my opinion that having even a slightly viable competitor to the UFC is a must. The USFL pulled a few high level players in from the NFL including three Heisman Trophy winners in a row. With Strikeforce pulling a few key fighters from the UFC, and Bellator signing up hot prospects like they are going out of style, the UFC will have to continue treating its big-name fighters right and begin to pay prospects more at the beginning of their career. Whether or not a true long-term competitor is formed, the USFL has proven that even a few years of competition can improve the landscape of a sport in leaps and bounds.

Michael “chesterbound01″ Pullen II
Columbia City, Ind.

SHINYA AOKI’S ACTIONS PROVE HE IS A CLASSLESS INDIVIDUAL

At Dynamite!! 2009, Shinya Aoki has solidified himself as the biggest villain in Japan, surpassing even Yoshihiro Akiyama. From his constant post-fight crying whether he wins or losess to his smack talk toward his opponents – which include one of his Shooto elders in Hayato Sakurai – Aoki’s ego is out of control and simply doesn’t want to stop. The final straw came from his fight with Mizuto Hirota. Aoki won the fight by breaking Hirota’s arm. Breaking the limb is one thing, but with Aoki rubbing it in to his opponent by immediately “flipping the bird” is just wrong, even if it was payback from Hirota beating Aoki’s training partner Satoru Kitaoka. Nonetheless, from his actions, Aoki not only lost some of his fans, but now there is a big target on his back as fighters are looking to stop an over-emotional human being from getting out of control.

“ThePsycho” Dave Nguyen
Santa Ana, Calif.

MMAJUNKIE.COM’s 2009 WORLD MMA AWARDS WELL-DESERVED

UFC president Dana White recently aimed one of his outbursts at what he perceives as the largely negative MMA online news media. I think it’s safe to say that he wasn’t referring to MMAjunkie.com because this website focuses not on cynical punditry day after day, but rather the incredible and inspiring stories of human triumph within the sport of MMA. As someone who not only covers this amazing sport, but is also deeply entrenched in the culture and a hopeless fanboy, I feel that John Morgan and MMAjunkie.com’s 2009 World MMA Awards were well deserved. I admire that MMAjunkie.com reports when a fighter earns his or her black belt in jiu-jitsu or the life story of those fighters buried deep in the untelevised undercard. Thanks for providing such a well-rounded narrative of life in the MMA world.

Dom Velando
Dallas, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN MORGAN AND MMAJUNKIE.COM

I would personally like to congratulate John Morgan for taking the “Best MMA Journalist” and MMAjunkie.com for winning the “Best MMA Media Outlet” awards at the Fighters Only 2009 World MMA Awards. Morgan has been an outstanding journalist over the past year, while MMAjunkie.com has continued to keep people up-to-date on all MMA news. Congratulations to them, and thank you for all the people who voted for them, as well.

John Edgar
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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